Partnering with the PIC to Support Summer Jobs

Posted March 18, 2014

PIC career specialist Dan Cuddy worked with Myntah Morris to get a job at Burns & Levinson through the BBA Summer Jobs Program. Last year, Myntah completed her second summer at Burns & Levinson and served as a mentor for Lucy Pimental, another Brighton High School student who interned at the firm.

As you may know from this announcement last week, the BBA will be honoring the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) at the annual Law Day Dinner in May. Through a 21 year partnership, the BBA and PIC have worked together to place over 640 Boston public high school students in paid legal internships since 1993.

Our program would not be possible without the support of the PIC. The PIC career specialists in each Boston public high school work tirelessly to select the best candidates for the program, help students with applications, and provide workshops to prepare students for their jobs. The BBA Summer Jobs Program, a significant effort in its own right, is only part of the PIC’s broader effort to open doors and give Boston teens valuable work experience. Last year, the PIC’s School-to-Career initiative placed over 3,000 students in a job or internship throughout the city.

Beyond the Billable sat down with Dan Cuddy, a senior career specialist at Brighton High School and Another Course to College, to give you a closer look how the PIC and BBA work together to ensure a successful Summer Jobs Program each year.

Here’s what he had to say:

Can you describe the process for applying for the BBA Summer Jobs Program?

“The PIC conducts summer job workshops after school starting in March to recruit students and advertise potential opportunities. As the Career Specialist for Brighton High School, I help the more than 200 students who typically attend the workshops by informing them of the summer job options and assisting in the registration process. Career Specialists also review the sign-up lists and pre-screen students who are interested in applying to the Boston Bar Association Summer Jobs Program. We look for students who have attention to detail, strong academic performance, a passion for learning new experiences, and understand professional etiquette. Students should also have an interest in law, criminal justice, or the judicial system.

What type of support does PIC offer the students to prepare them for the application process and their summer job?

“The PIC works with students throughout the year to prepare for the coming summer and offers weekly after-school workshops in the spring to engage potential applicants.

Summer job workshops include resume writing, interview skills, and professional etiquette. Career Specialists guide students through the application process and review all applications prior to submission. If the student is selected to be interviewed for the BBA, the Career Specialist advises candidates regarding dressing for success, interview preparation, and commuting.”Why do you encourage your students to apply to the BBA Summer Jobs Program?

“The best way to describe the benefits of the Boston Bar Association Summer Jobs Program is to quote my Brighton High student who has been working for Burns & Levinson for the past nine months as the result of an extremely successful summer internship.

Brighton High School student, Lucy Pimental, started working at Burns & Levinson (a long-time supporter of the BBA Summer Jobs Program) last summer as a junior intern and describes the benefits of working at the firm as rewarding and challenging. She has to multi-task responsibilities in the Records department, Accounting department, and the Library. She has to be organized, detailed, and must communicate regularly with her supervisor. As a result of her internship at Burns & Levinson, Lucy is highly motived to become a lawyer and has maintained high honors to make that dream a reality. Lucy is thrilled to be working in a professional environment and works to impress her supervisor, Rachel Krasowski, who she loves working for during the summer and school year.

As Lucy describes it: ‘The Boston Bar Association Summer Jobs Program changes the lives of inner city students and demonstrates to them that academic achievement and a little motivation to learn new skills can dramatically influence their career path in an eight-week summer internship!’”